This story contains sex between minor boys and teen-agers. If such things
offend you, or you are not at least 18 years of age, then please don't read
on. This story is not true, but who knows, maybe some day it will be.

CHAPTER 39

Death of a Boy

by Douglas DD

The flyer landed in a field close to the Shkah village. Mayor Andorn was
there to meet it. The Governor got out of the flyer, along with the Doctor
was with him. The Doctor and the Mayor exchanged hugs and the Mayor led
them to the village meeting hall.

Arkron and Bazel were there along with Alex and Mike. The Mayor wondered
where Douglas was. He'd been gone for almost an hour, ever since he first
heard that the Governor was flying in.

"Well, Arkron," the Governor said with a smile, "your rebellion didn't last
long. It looks like my round eared boys were better than yours."

Arkron spat on the floor in front of the Governor.

"I guess we'll have to decide what to do with you now," the Governor went
on.

Alex and Mike couldn't understand a word that was being said, but they did
know they didn't like the Governor's attitude.

At that moment Douglas came into the room with Scooter. The Governor
turned and greeted him with a smile.

When the Governor saw Douglas, Alex could see the politician's eyes change.
The Governor looked coldly at Douglas.

"So, you're then one who won this little war," the Governor said. He didn't
add what he was thinking, which was `After you got it started'. "You seem
to enjoy breaking the rules."

"Sir, I just did what I thought needed to be done. I heard you were going
to turn us over to the Shkah. I wasn't very happy about that. So I did
something about it."

"Well, you may have gotten things done. But I'm not so sure I like your
attitude."

"Well, Sir, I just did what I had to do. I'm sorry if it bothers you."
What Douglas really wanted to say was, I don't like your attitude much
either.

"Well, we're going to work out a peace arrangement with the Shkah leaders.
So you may go now, young one." The Governor waved him off, but Douglas
didn't move.

"I said, you may go now!" the Governor said.

"I don't think so, Sir. I think I have a right to be part of this."

"You're a young one. You have no rights. You're not even Hakaanen."

Douglas started feeling his stubborn streak come up. "Without me you
wouldn't even be standing here. You'd still be trying to figure out how to
surrender to the Shkah and give your entire precious Hakaanen valley up to
them. I have every right to be here. I plan on staying."

The Mayor quickly stepped in. "Governor, let him stay and observe, as long
as he promises not to interrupt. Is that agreeable to you, Dooglass?"

It wasn't totally, but Douglas realized it was the best he could hope for,
so he agreed. At least he would be able so see what was going on. He asked
Mike and Alex to leave, but Scooter stayed. The Governor said Scooter had
to leave too, but Douglas reminded him that Scooter was his translator and
he would stay. He told the Governor that if it was just him and Scooter
there would be no interruption. But he needed Scooter there to help him
understand what was being said. The Governor agreed.

Douglas watched as the Governor told the Shkah that they would not lose any
of their valley. Arkron and Bazel were arrested. The Shkah would have to
elect a new leader. He also he told them that a Hakaan would be stationed
in Shkah territory to watch over the valley. He allowed them to keep their
atmosphere machine as part of the deal. That last part angered Douglas. In
fact, a lot of it did. Douglas thought the Governor was being much too easy
on the Shkah considering what they did. There should have been more than
just two arrests.

That's how they were able to attack the one in the big valley, he thought at
Scooter. The should take it apart so it can't be used again. But it really
doesn't make any difference now, anyway."

Scooter smiled at him. He knew exactly what he was talking about. It would
be a long time before anybody noticed too.

After a couple of hours of meeting and talk the Governor got on the flyer
and was flown back to the big valley. The flyer came back a few more times
to take the rest of them back. Douglas, Scooter, Mike, Bandar, and Alex
were on the last flight.

Douglas was carrying his rifle and a large parcel with him. Through Scooter
he communicated to Bandar what was in the parcel.

"Jim said it was an important piece to the atmosphere machine. He took it
off the machine during our little visit. I'm going to give it to you in
case it's ever needed. But right now I don't trust the Shkah, and right now
I don't think they should be able to run their machine. So, for now their
atmosphere machine is useless. That way if they do something to the main
machine in the big valley again, they would have to suffer in the same way.
Or think they will."

When the flyer landed at Orkyl, Jim, Stevie, and the Mayor were there to
meet them. They were taken to the place where they had been staying.
Tomorrow they would talk about where everybody was going to end up, but for
tonight, except for Matthew and Jordan, they were all together. And that
meant a meeting that night to start discussing their future on Inferno.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Robert Charles led his small group to the west rim of the valley. As the
sun started setting they went down a trail on the shadow side. When they
reached the valley they set up camp. They were all tired and very hungry.
Robert Charles knew he would have to find them food the next day. And he
knew how he would do it.

Orzano and Vordkan had their own sleeping bags. Jordan crawled in with
Robert Charles. Vordkan heard what was going on, which made him horny. He
talked Orzano coming into his own sleeping bag. When the sex was over
Orzano and Vordkan were both satisfied. Robert Charles loved Jordan's tight
butt, but wished for a girl next to him. Jordan fell asleep completely in
love with Robert Charles. He cuddled up close and kept his arms around him,
happy at last that somebody loved him.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The boys were sitting on chairs and on the floor. Douglas sat on a table in
front of them. Matthew and Enghar had come to join the meeting. Bandar was
there too, with a boy named Hajo, who was 13 and beautiful. Bandar said
that Hajo was his Meshanna, but didn't explain what it meant. They all
figured it was something special and that they would find out later.

"We gotta decide some things soon," Douglas said.

"Like tonight?" Jeremy asked.

"One thing, yes. The others soon."

"What kind of choices?" Brett asked.

"Where we live. And can we find a way home?"

Everybody was quiet. Finally Jeremy said, "The Shkah are defeated. I think
we can split up and hopefully find a home. Matthew has one with the doctor.
Mayor Andorn will be one. Some of us were happy where we were. And I
think more of the Hakaan will take us in. We don't have to be a group
because the danger is over."

"The danger isn't over," Douglas said. "RC is still on the loose."

"I don't think he's that big a danger," Jeremy said, "he......."

He never got a chance to finish. Alex, Mike, and Ryan chimed in before he
could say any more.

"The FUCK he's not!" Alex yelled. "He threatened to kill Douglas. And we
all know he is capable of following through. We all know he was behind the
killing during the raids of the Shkah. And I don't think he means to stop
at that. He came this close," he squeezed his index finger and thumb
together, "to killing Ryan and Drew."

Jeremy wanted to protest. He really didn't think Robert Charles would go
that far. He wanted to point out that Robert Charles didn't kill those two.
Jeremy had always thought more of Robert Charles than anybody else, and
had always been proven wrong about him. However, he just didn't see Robert
Charles as being evil enough to kill somebody. Threaten and come close,
yes. But to really kill somebody, no.

"You weren't there on that hill, Jeremy. You didn't see him holding a knife
to the throat of a little boy, cutting it and making blood come out," Ryan
said. "The look he had was pure evil. If you guys hadn't shown up, we were
dead. I know that for a fact!"

Douglas held up his hand and stopped them. "Guys, we don't need to argue
about this. The business at hand is, where are we going to stay, and do we
make Robert Charles's threat part of that decision."

Douglas is a natural leader, Scooter thought.

They argued back and forth over the choices Douglas gave them. They finally
went with the choice to stay overnight at the center where they were, but to
eat meals with some of the families in Orkyl. They would stay in the town
where they should be safe. After Robert Charles was caught they would each
get a permanent home.

Tonight they would all stay together where they were, even Matthew and
Enghar, and Bandar and Hajo. For the night everyone paired up with their
partner somewhere in the building and enjoyed good sex and a good night's
sleep with the one they loved.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Robert Charles checked out the farm. Jordan was next to him. The farm and
the farmhouse were quiet. He signaled to Vordkan and Orzano. They ran
across the field and behind the barn. Next it would be a run to the house.
They dashed from the barn to the house one at a time.

Robert Charles opened the door to the house, and the boys quietly entered
the house. Two women were sitting there with a girl around ten and a little
boy around four. They screamed when the four boys broke in. Vordkan knew
what to say to them.

"Don't move and do exactly what we tell you and everything will be okay. We
want food and the unicorn in your barn. We won't hurt you, just give us
what we want."

The farmers obeyed, and in a half hour the boys were off and riding. Robert
Charles knew that the farmers would be calling for help, so they rode off
fast. They stopped in a meadow far from the farm house. It was time to
show Jordan how to ride now that they had a unicorn for him. They spent the
rest of the day giving him riding lessons. Jordan picked it up quickly and
found he enjoyed riding. It made him feel free and in charge.

That night they found an open spot in one of the forests and laid out their
sleeping bags. Some of the things they got from the farm were some blankets
and a pillow for Jordan. Jordan was hoping he wouldn't have to lay them
out. He was hoping Robert Charles would ask him to sleep with him. That
didn't happen until it started raining lightly. The blankets weren't
waterproof but the sleeping bags were, so Jordan, wet and naked, crawled
into Robert Charles's bag and snuggled up against him. He liked the warm
strong feel of the older boy. He loved his musky teen smells. Suddenly the
memory of another rainy night flashed through his head, the night he peed on
Scooter in the courtyard. For some reason it didn't seem as great in his
mind as it had when he did it, and he worked to get the thought out of his
mind and tell his conscience to shut up.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mayor Andorn came into the hall as the boys were waking up. Bandar and Hajo
both gave him a big hug. Douglas found that interesting, since he knew they
weren't brothers. They must be lovers then, he thought, though it was
strange he hadn't seen Hajo before now. Bandar had always been without him,
even when the first met him at the lake.

"Boys, with your permission we have come up with a plan for you during the
day. It is something different from what we talked about yesterday." the
Mayor said.

Douglas felt himself getting a little angry. They had made their decision
last night, and now an adult was stepping in to take over. He thought again
how on the "Moonduster" he wanted an adult to do that so badly, to take over
and make all the decisions, and that now when it happened it made him mad.
He had gotten too used to making his own decisions and being responsible for
them.

"We kind of decided already," Douglas said.

"Well, hear me out. You can all still decide what you want, but I think you
need to hear what I have to say."

"Okay," Douglas said. Even with Scooter translating Andorn could tell
Douglas wasn't thrilled about what was going on.

"Matthew has a tutor who is helping him learn the Hakaan language. And he
is doing a good job of that. We talked yesterday. You have Scootah who can
translate. Enghar who can help you meet others boys. We thought it would
be a good idea if you boys...."

"..go to school," Douglas finished.

Mayor Andorn smiled. "Yes. Exactly."

"Let me talk it over with the group."

"I'll step outside until you decide. But we do think it would be the best
idea. It's up to you though."

The Mayor left the room. Douglas turned to the rest of them. The vote
didn't take long. They were all tired of translators. It was time for
school. They certainly couldn't just sit around doing nothing every day.
And if they were going to survive and thrive on Inferno, they were going to
need to learn the language, culture, and technology, such as it was, of the
Hakaanen. They all seemed to know that the vote meant the adventure was at
an end. In a way they were going to become normal kids again. It also
meant they probably would never see home again. Inferno was now going to be
their home forever.

"Wow,"Scooter said, "I never thought I would ever vote FOR going to school."

For Douglas it also meant his days as leader were just about over. As soon
as Robert Charles was found they would be split up among Hakaan families,
their group broken up. They would be kids again, with the adults in charge.

Every one of them knew what voting to go to school meant. Douglas felt
tears stinging his eyes. He wasn't surprised to see the rest of them were
crying too.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The day had been a long one. A classroom had been set up for them in the
school. They got their three meals there and would until they got homes.
Matthew's tutor was there. He was their teacher now. Enghar introduced
them, then went to his own classroom. Douglas liked the teacher right away.
Matthew said he was pretty cool, and Matthew had been right.

They spent the day learning about each other and figuring out how the class
was going to work and what they would learn. Modar, the teacher, was
pleased how smart they were and what they knew. He already knew how brave
they were. He was sure this was going to be the finest group he ever taught
and he was excited about it.

After dinner the boys returned to the community hall. They talked about
homes and decided since it was going to happen, why wait to move into them.
Robert Charles was probably not going to ride into the largest town on the
planet in broad daylight. They decided they would let the Doctor know the
next day that they wanted to get their new homes. He was in charge of that
now that Mayor Andorn had gone back to Awanstor. They now knew they only
had a couple of nights left together. And on this one they were all there,
even Matthew, who wanted to be with the group.

On this special night they made love to each other. Whoever wanted to be
with whom, in front of all of their friends. Sucking, jerking off, rubbing
off, up the butt, they all lost track of how many times they cummed. Some
made sure they spent special time with a special person. Mike made sure to
give his little brother Matthew a blow job. Matthew returned it. Ryan did
the same for Drew, and for the first time Drew was not shy about having sex
with the group. Douglas and Brett did a 69. Jeremy seeked out his former
roommate, Ryan, and jerked him off. Douglas and Travis rubbed off on each
other. Jim let Scooter go up inside him and cum deep in his bowels. It was
an orgy, but a special orgy of love. They slept on the floor in a big group
trying to touch as many others as they could. They knew their time as a
group was coming to an end.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Many things happened during the next two days. Robert Charles was leading
raids that got nastier. They set fire to two houses, but nobody was killed.
The Hakaan policemen were searching for them. This time they were even
using the flyer, but as much as possible Robert Charles, Jordan, and the
Shkah boys were staying deep in the woods and out of sight. All anybody
could tell was they were moving farther and farther to the south, toward the
capital city.

The day after their love making a lot of the Hakaan came to their class.
They were volunteers to take the boys into their homes. None of the homes
would be permanent for now.. Everybody needed to see how things worked out.
Douglas had hoped they could all return the Awanstor and stay with their
original familles. That could happen, but not until the boys knew the
Hakaan language well enough to attend class without a translator. It was
agreed as much as possible that boys would be with their partners. One big
thing the Hakaan understood was boys and their lovers and how important they
were.

That night they stayed in their temporary homes. Only Matthew's was
permanent. Enghar's family was Matthew's family now. Douglas and Scooter
were staying with two men who were partners as well as Meshannas. One of
them, Kallama, was a doctor who was a friend of Enghar's dad. The other,
Gorgio, was a manager of a food plant. They had raised a son who was in the
only college on Inferno and lived there now. He was 19. Gorgio had a 13
year old daughter who lived with her two mothers. Scooter and Douglas both
liked their temporary family right away.

Drew and Drake got paired up. The Hakaan were interested in the twins.
Identical twins were very rare among the Hakaan. The other pairings were
Jeremy and Brett and Travis and Ryan. The biggest problem was that Alex
didn't want to be separated from Mike or Stevie, Mike didn't want to be
separated from Alex, and Stevie didn't want to be separated from Jim. It
ended up working out when the teacher agreed to take them all in until they
could figure something out, or somebody was willing to give in and move
elsewhere. The teacher was Hakaan. He understood lovers and he understood
brothers. He lived alone in a large house and had room for the four boys.
He figured he would have no trouble with this group of boys. The boys
worked to make sure he was right.

The next day Robert Charles and his group attacked another farm. They stole
food, and Robert Charles and Vordkan set fire to the barn and then
disappeared into the woods. Word of the raid got quickly to the Governor.
A couple of hours later Douglas was called out of class, along with Scooter.

The Governor was sitting in the Principal's office with one of his police
officers. Douglas was upset to see him. He'd heard how the Governor was
taking credit for defeating the Shkah and that had upset quite a bit.

"Where is he and when and where are you meeting him?" the Governor asked.

"Where is who? Meeting who?" Douglas asked back. He had no idea what the
Governor was talking about.

"Your friend. The one who is burning our farms again. It's very suspicious
that nobody got away but your friend and his buddies. It's very suspicious
that the Shkah start this rebellion after you round ears end up in both
valleys. I really think you and all your friends should be locked up, not
sent to school."

Douglas glared at him. He'd heard enough. "You don't get it do you? Well,
let me tell you what is going on, and until you get it, there will be more
barns being burned, maybe some houses too. Maybe even more killings. It's
time you figured out just what is happening!"

Scooter stared at Douglas. His look said, Do you really want me to
translate this? Douglas nodded yes, so Scooter translated. This time the
Governor's face got red.

"How dare you talk to me like that, you..you...round eared traitor. I know
all of you round ears have worked together. You are all the enemy. Well,
your plans won't work!!"

Scooter translated for Douglas.

"Robert Charles has sworn to kill me and my friends. That is why he is
heading this way. And what are you doing to protect us? Nothing!"

"So you say," the Governor said. "Only you know what was said when he ran
off. And I think you're holding out on us. I think you set this all up!"

"I think Mayor Andorn has to win the election and get you out of office!"

For Scooter this was getting scary. The Governor was glaring at him as hard
as he was at Douglas.

"I'll see you in court. Right with that traitor Mayor. As soon as I win
the election. I will have you and your round eared friends locked up for
life." With that the Governor stomped out of the room.

Scooter looked at Douglas. "I think you're in big trouble, my love. I said
exactly what you said, and I think you could've said it differently. But I
love you."

"I get mad sometimes, don't I? I hope I didn't blow it."

"Probably not. He's getting desperate, I think, to back up what he did. I
think he's in trouble when the election comes." Scooter then looked at
Douglas with a grin. "And speaking of blow," he pointed down to his half
hard dick, " you can blow on this any time, love."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That night Scooter and Douglas were sitting with the two men who were their
hosts. They were able to talk because of Scooter's translating, something
not every family could do yet, although they were learning to speak the
Hakaan language. It shouldn't be long before they all could talk to their
families.

"I've heard the word Meshanna a couple of times. Like you two are
Meshannas. Bandar and Hajo are Meshannas. What is a Meshanna? Scooter
can't seem to translate it," Douglas said.

"I guess you have nothing like that in your culture," Kallama said. "Maybe
I should explain."

"Is it like a lover?" Scooter asked.

"Not exactly. Usually Meshannas are lovers. Sometimes not. But they are
always close. Always there for each other. They know each other inside and
out. They have a special bond."

"Like soulmates," Scooter said. "Douglas and I are soulmates."

"I'm not sure what that word means. I know that my Meshanna is in a very
special place in my heart. And I am lucky that my Meshanna is also my
partner."

"How does somebody become somebody's Meshanna?"

"When a Hakaan boy or a girl feels they have found their Meshanna they
announce it to one of the priests. The priest makes sure that they both have
the required bond. There are long interviews, not only of them but of their
friends and family. Not all applications are approved. But if when two are
approved to become Meshannas it is a special occasion. They then become
part of the next Meshanna ceremony. It is usually done between the ages of
twelve and fifteen. Meshannas are bonded at a young age and stay Meshannas
for life. The bond cannot be broken, which is why it is so necessary to be
sure that the one has the right person to become Meshanna."

"Amazing," Douglas interjected. "On our planet, adults don't think young
people are capable of making decisions like that."

"Church?" Kallama had no translation for the word. All Scooter could come
up with was the English word, church. He explained a church was a building
for worship "Our priests teach our religion. And do our ceremonies. We
have no buildings for worship."

"Is it possible for somebody to pick the wrong person as their Meshanna?"
Scooter asked.

"It is, but it is very rare. Very rare. Somehow each Hakaan is able to
find his or her Meshanna. As I said, the interviewing and approval process
is very intense. Potential Meshannas are closely scrutinized."

"What if someone doesn't find one?"

"People without a Meshanna can be very unhappy because they didn't make the
link of happiness. The link is so close it does things to a person.
Changes them. Some Meshanna can almost read minds." Scooter and Douglas
looked at each other. "But their hearts always touch. Almost all Hakaanen
find a Meshanna. The Shkah decided they no longer needed a Meshanna. They
no longer needed the love of a Meshanna, or the love that Meshannas and all
of us share with the God Jeswa. They became bitter and left the big valley
for our original settlement in the small valley. Their souls became empty.
Having a Meshanna makes a Hakaan complete and happy."

Scooter and Douglas were touching hands. They became lost in each other's
thoughts, souls, and loves. Kallama and Gorgio got up and left them alone
in the room.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Robert Charles found better shelter the next night in case it rained. It
was a farm storage shed, out of sight of the farmhouse. It was small, but
there was enough room for the four of them. Robert Charles reached into the
bag of things they had stolen that morning. He pulled out some food. They
cooked it up on a small stove that Vordkan had been carrying with him since
the raids started.

After they ate they talked about what Robert Charles was planning. He told
them it involved killing Douglas and his close buddies. He wanted to see
them suffer and die. He told them they needed to make a choice if they were
with them. Douglas had ruined everything the Shkah had planned, he reminded
Vordkan. And he reminded Jordan how badly he had been treated by him and
his friends.

All three wanted to follow Robert Charles. Jordan felt there was nothing
for him in the main group. They had wanted nothing to do with him and had
treated him like shit, so he would show them he was nobody to mess with.
Besides, though he wouldn't admit it, he was in love with Robert Charles.
Vordkan didn't like seeing the Shkah men humiliated by a 14 year old round
eared boy. The Shkah had gone back to following the ancient tradition of
warriors that had been a major part of the culture the Hakaanen before they
had become a peaceful people. He was ready to join Robert Charles to get
revenge. Orzano didn't really care. He just like the adventure of it all.
Robert Charles now had what he had been looking for so long; a group of
followers totally loyal to him and willing to follow him unquestioningly.

Robert Charles reached into his pack and pulled out something wrapped in
cloth. It was a bottle of Pahkah.

"You ever touch this shit, Jordan?" he asked.

"What is it?"

Robert Charles held it in front of Jordan's face. He remembered what Jordan
was like on the "Starkeeper".

"Just the thing a little alcoholic like you would love. This is strong
shit." Robert Charles opened it and took a small swallow and coughed. It
WAS strong stuff. He handed it to Jordan. "Have a swallow."

Jordan suddenly realized he hadn't been thinking about drinking at all since
they got to the big valley, even when he was being ignored by the group.
Jordan stared at the bottle.

"I..I don't know...."

"Fuck, Jordan. Come on. You know you like this shit. You know you love
being drunk. Drink it. Don't be a wuss. Drink it!"

Jordan looked at it, then handed it to Vordkan. Vordkan took a drink and
handed it to Orzano. Jordan wondered what the little Shkah boy would do.
He was surprised to see him take a big swallow. Then Robert Charles took
another one and handed the bottle to Jordan. "Come on, Jordan," he said,
smiling. "Drink it. You'll love it. Look at Orzano. He can't wait for
the bottle to come around again."

Well, fuck it, Jordan thought. What was he holding out for? It's not like
he never had been drunk before. He lifted the bottle and took a long hard
swallow. He almost spit it all back out. It was like drinking liquid fire.
Then he felt the warmth inside his whole body. He took a deep breath and
took another swallow. It was strong but good. He couldn't wait until it
hit his head. He passed it to Vordkan, eager to get it back.

The four of them finished the bottle of Pahkah. Jordan and Orzano were only
12 and it didn't take much of the strong drink to hit them hard. Vordkan
got pretty drunk too, but after getting Jordan to start drinking, Robert
Charles held back.

After the bottle was empty he and Vordkan got into a sleeping bag together,
and Robert Charles fucked the Shkah teen's butt wildly. Jordan resented
Orzano being an alien at first, but soon he was so drunk it didn't matter.
The boys shared Orzano's sleeping bag, but ended up being so drunk they
passed out and nothing happened.

The next morning Orzano and Jordan both felt sick and went into the woods to
puke. Vordkan was kind of surprised to be naked with Robert Charles, but he
didn't feel real bad. He had a headache. Robert Charles felt okay. He
knew it was time to get more food. And time to find out where Douglas and
his group were hiding out.

Vordkan and Robert Charles did the next raid without the two younger boys.
The house was empty and it was quick. Jordan and Orzano were still feeling
sick and were barely able to ride their unicorns. It was real hard on
Jordan who wasn't an experienced rider.

That afternoon as they crossed a road Robert Charles saw somebody walking up
it. He signaled to the others that they should ride up to whomever it was.
They could soon see it was a boy. Robert Charles and Vordkan recognized
him. It was the boy from the house they burned down. Robert Charles had
killed one of his dads and had shot at the boy. Robert Charles talked
through the minds of Orzano and Vordkan.

"Well, well look who we have here." He looked down on him from his unicorn.
It was obvious the boy was very frightened. "You find a new place to live
yet?" he laughed.

The Hakaan boy said nothing. They could see he was ready to cry.

"I'll tell you what," Robert Charles said. "You give me some information,
we'll let you go. You don't tell us what we want to know we will make what
is left of your life very miserable."

The boy waited for Vordkan to finish talking and said in a very shaky voice,
"Anything you want, but I don't know very much. I just live...er lived...on
my farm and all."

The four boys guided the Hakaan boy off the road and into the woods. They
didn't want to be seen. They got off their unicorns. Robert Charles put
his hand around the boy's neck. Right then he wished that Hakaanen wore
clothes so he would have something to grab.

"I want to know where the round eared boys are."

"That's all?" He breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought everybody knew.
They're going to school in Orkyl."

The capital city, Robert Charles thought. That was going to make it harder,
but not impossible. He looked at Jordan.

"Grab your rifle."

"Why?"

"Don't ask me dumb questions. Grab the fucking rifle."

Jordan grabbed it off his unicorn. His head was still pounding. He stood
next to Robert Charles.

"Is it set to kill?"

Jordan nodded yes.

"Well, it's time to show what you can do." He pointed to the boy. "Kill
him."

Jordan gulped. He pointed his laser rifle at the boy. He could see the boy
turn white. He could see the tears. The boy stared talking and even though
he couldn't understand him he knew the boy was begging for his life. He
aimed the rifle right at the boy's chest. His head hurt so badly. He fired
the trigger and a beam of red light shot out. The boy dropped to the ground
and didn't move. Jordan stared at him without any emotion.

Robert Charles hit him lightly on the shoulder. "Good job, guy. You've got
balls, that's all I can say." Vordkan smiled at him. Jordan got up on his
unicorn feeling sick. As he stuck the rifle into his saddle, Robert Charles
was on the opposite side of him. He flicked the power switch from "heavy
stun" to "kill" hoping Robert Charles didn't notice. The four boys rode
off. About a half hour later the Hakaan boy woke up and staggered out to
the road, waiting for help to ride by.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The school day went by slowly, but the boys were picking up much of the
language. The day was slow but worthwhile. When the day ended Douglas held
a meeting of the group. This was their only chance to meet. He knew that
soon they would be split up to families all over the big valley. Douglas
gave them the latest news on Robert Charles. He had raided a house in the
morning and attacked a boy in the early afternoon. The boy had been shot
with a laser rifle on heavy stun and was hurt and shook up. He had told the
policeman who he talked to about telling his attackers where the round ears
were.

"It looks like he's going to be here soon. Like tonight or tomorrow. And
we all will have to be ready."

"Especially you, Douglas," Travis said. "You're the one he wants."

"He said he was going to make me suffer first," Douglas said. "And I think
that means he wants to get some of you before he gets me, so I can see what
he is capable of. He wants me to taste his cruelty. But no matter what,
just be careful. Get a ride to and from school if you can." The meeting
went on a little longer, then Douglas ended it saying he would see them all
in the morning.

He, Scooter, Mike, Travis, Ryan, Alex, and Stevie walked home together as a
group. Their two families lived close to each other and they walked to and
from school together. They talked about Robert Charles and what he was
doing. They all agreed that since they met him he somehow had changed from
an asshole to somebody who was crazy.

"Maybe he was always crazy and we just didn't see it," Alex said.

"Or maybe he's just the same asshole and it's all magnified here," Mike
said.

"Whatever," Douglas said. "The thing about RC is, he could have had
everything. I mean people do follow him. He could have done it all
straight and right and been a good leader. There is something about him
that makes people want to follow him (Just like you my love, Scooter
thought). But then they see what he is really like and where he is taking
them and he loses them. He could've got what he wanted by not intimidating
everybody. People were willing to follow him, but to him power was more
important than leadership. Well, now to him power means getting rid of me,
because he thinks I'm the one who has taken it away from him. So now he's a
sad, crazy, but very dangerous boy."

"What about Jordan?" Travis asked.

Douglas was silent. Jordan, he thought. What about Jordan? He had failed
Jordan, and now Jordan was out there in the woods and the fields following
the evilness of RC. He never thought of Jordan as being evil. Confused,
and sometimes unlikeable, maybe. Just like everybody else, he didn't like
Jordan. But then, he had never made any effort to try to get to know him or
like him until the talk in the hospital, and that was obviously too late.

"I dunno," Douglas said. "I dunno about Jordan."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Drew and Drake lived toward the outskirts of the town. They walked part of
the way home with Brett and Jeremy, the rest of the way by themselves. They
would see about getting a ride to school tomorrow, but today they had to
walk. They were walking along when they heard a noise behind some bushes.

A Hakaan boy jumped out in front of them. The twins were ready to run, but
the boy didn't seem dangerous. Hakaan boys never were. They didn't
recognize him, but they thought he might be from the next village. What
they didn't know was that Shkah boys didn't color their manes until they
reached puberty, and the naked boy in front of them obviously hadn't reached
puberty yet. The naked boy was Orzano, who was not used to being naked in
the open like this. Shkah boys wore loin cloths, at least out in public.
But he had to act like a Hakaan, so he was naked like the a Hakaan boy would
be. He kind of liked it, and was fighting not to get a boner, especially
since he thought the two round eared boys in front were cute. Being with
Jordan had made him kind of like round ears and their hairless smooth backs.

Orzano pointed to the path going behind the brush. He wanted the twins to
follow him. Drew and Drake both thought he wanted to mess around like most
Hakaan boys since he had an erection. They both weren't interested. Doing
it with Ryan and Travis was special. Last night they did it some with each
other. Just rubbing, not the sucking. But they weren't interested in doing
it with a strange Hakaan boy. They shook their head no and started walking
on. But he stepped in front of them. They thought this was kind of weird
since Hakaan boys were always supposed to accept a no to a request for sex.
This wasn't the first time they'd been asked. The boys at school all
seemed to want to have sex with a round eared boy, and they thought the
twins were incredibly erotic. The Hakaan rarely had twins.

"Vort," he said pointing into the bushes. "Vort!"

The twins both knew what a vort was. It was something like a dog. They
figured the boy lost his vort and wanted him to help them. So they nodded
yes and followed him into the brush. Orzano pretended to be calling his
vort and looking for it. The twins pushed back bushes looking too. They
came into a small clearing when three figures jumped out at them. Drew
recognized all three of them, Jordan, the Shkah teenager, and Robert
Charles. Drake didn't know who Vordkan was, but of course he knew the two
Earth boys.

"Well, look who walked right into my hands," Robert Charles said. "How's it
going, Drew? Did ya miss me?" He looked at the twins. One of them was
white and shaking. There was no doubt in Robert Charles's mind that was
Drew.

He put his hand under the boy's chin and lifted it. He took his knife from
his belt. Drew saw it and fainted, falling to the ground. Robert Charles
looked at Drake and laughed.

"Are you as big a wuss as your twin?" he asked.

Drake was starting to shake too. He didn't know what to say. He just knew
he was as frightened as he had ever been in his young life. Drew was lying
face down on the ground. Robert Charles lay back and punched Drake hard in
the stomach. He doubled over.

"Go for it, Jordan."

Jordan walked up to him and hesitated.

"Do it Jordan!" Jordan made a fist and slammed it into Drake's belly. He
tried holding up some at the end, but he wasn't sure he was able to. Robert
Charles handed Jordan a rifle.

"Next victim," Robert Charles said.

Jordan jerked his head and started at him. He was wondering if Robert
Charles was crazy. Wanting him to kill a strange Hakaan boy was weird
enough, but now he wanted him to kill a boy who had been his shipmate and
who had never done a thing to him or Robert Charles. Suddenly this whole
adventure with Robert Charles wasn't as much fun as he thought. Hurting
them some was one thing, but killing for no reason, that was something else.

Robert Charles looked at Jordan and laughed. "Chill out, Jordan. I was
kidding. I'm gonna let these two little wusses go if they promise me to do
one thing."

"What?" Drake asked. He was fighting his tears. He was willing to do
anything. ANYTHING. And Robert Charles knew it.

He walked up to Drake and started rubbing his ass. "Maybe just show me if
your ass is as hot and tight as your twin brother's. His is great you
know," he whispered in Drake's ear.

"You never got in it!" Drake yelled. "He said you didn't!"

Robert Charles poked his finger against Drake's rose and smiled an evil
smile. "Your twin is a liar. I'm surprised you can't figure that out."

"I just let you live, you little faggot. Now you listen to me! You tell
that piece of shit Douglas what I did. And you tell him I can get him or
any of you any time I want. You tell him I said his ass is mine, cuz I'm
gonna ride it like crazy before I cut his throat." He pushed Drake down to
the ground and kicked him in the ribs. Then he stepped over and kicked Drew
in the ribs. "Come on guys, let's leave these piles of crap here on the
ground." He started to walk away, then turned around and stared at Drew
with his dark vacant eyes. "Douglas is gonna watch me do to you what I
should've done to you on that hill, little boy."

The four boys took off into the brush.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Douglas was studying the worksheet on Hakaan nouns the teacher had made for
them. Hakaan wasn't a very hard language. Its grammar was a lot like
English. Learning how to say and pronounce the words was what was hard, and
the alphabet made no sense at all. Douglas figured it wouldn't take him
very long to learn to speak the language, but he wondered if he would ever
learn to read it.

The phone rang. Kallama answered it. He called Douglas to the phone and
Douglas took it.

"Hello?.......Hi Drew..........Say What?...........Shit! That bastard! That
son of a bitch........Yeah. You be sure to get a ride tomorrow. We will
all meet before class starts........OK. See ya, Drew."

"What was that about?" Scooter asked.

"Drew and Drake were stopped by Robert Charles, Jordan, and the two Shkah
boys on the way from school. I guess they got threatened and beat up. And
RC threatened the rest of us, which isn't news. What is news is that he is
here and brave enough to advertise it. Tomorrow we gotta meet right away
and decide what to do."

Scooter rubbed Douglas's back. "Well, I think tonight we you and I have to
meet in the bedroom. And I know what to do."

Douglas smiled at his love and they said goodnight to their hosts. They
went into the back bedroom together and lay next to each other on the bed.
It was so nice to be on a nice soft bed. To exchange soft kisses. To
stroke and pet each other softly. To touch each other's smooth soft skin.
To slowly build up their passion, moving, hugging, kissing, stroking,
feeling, until Douglas gently entered his sweetness and made beautiful love
to him. They fell asleep wrapped up in each other.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When they all got to school they got permission from Modar to meet. He had
found out about the attack the day before and knew they all needed to talk.
Drew and Drake were still shook up.

"It looks like RC is here and ready to get us," Douglas said. "Mayor Andorn
asked the Governor if whatever police are here could help protect us. The
Governor said no. He said all us round ears are on the same side anyway.
Let me tell you, I sure wish I could vote in this election coming up."

"I want to go home," Drew said. Ryan went over to him and held him tight.

"I don't think that will ever happen," Douglas said. "I think we better
face that and accept it. Inferno is our home. The first thing we have to
do is make it a safe home. And that means doing something about Robert
Charles and protecting ourselves. Which starts with us going home
differently. We don't want what happened yesterday happening again."

They started planning their walk home. Douglas and Scooter had talked
things over with Kallama and Gorgio before school and had made a couple of
other calls. They had a plan set up. Scooter, Douglas, Alex, Mike, Jim,
Stevie, Ryan, and Travis would walk as a group to where Douglas stayed.
They would wait there until Kallama got home. Then Kallama would take the
other four to their house in his carriage. Going the other way Drew, David,
Brett, Matthew, and Jeremy would wait at the school with Enghar and the
teacher until Enghar's dad picked them up in his car and drop them off. It
would be a tight fit, but they were all small so they figured it should
work.

At the end of the school day they got their plan going. Douglas's group
walked together. They were surprised and pleased to see Bandar outside
waiting for them. Hajo was with him. They left their school early and rode
to Orkyl. Bandar had been looking around the school for anything suspicious
and didn't find anything. But he had his eyes wide open and was carrying a
laser rifle with him.

Orzano watched them go down the street then mixed himself in with the rest
of the Hakaan kids coming out of the school. It was so strange seeing all
the kids naked.

"So, those are the famous round ears," he said to one a boy who looked his
age.

"Yeah. They're in their own class right now, but when they learn our
language they will be right with us in our classes. That's what they say
anyway," the boy answered.

"Everybody says they're so brave. I came all the way from Kanshua (a
village a the far north end of the big valley) to look at them. Are they
staying up that street?"

"Yeah. They go home all together because a couple of the round ears are
like the Shkah and want to get them and make trouble."

"So that's why the one boy is armed?"

"Yeah. I bet they have even more rifles tomorrow. Two of them got attacked
yesterday."

"Where do they live? I'd love to see their house. I mean they're so famous
and all."

"They live in a big white house. It belongs to a doctor and his Meshanna.
It has flower baskets hung all around the front. You can't miss it. The
house across from it is empty. And old guy lived there and he got too old
and had to move out to some other home. I guess some new people will move
in soon." Orzano saw that he had picked the right kid ask. This one sure
liked to talk.

"Hey, thanks. This is all so awesome I have to go meet my parents now."
Orzano left the school, but went in a different direction than Doug's group
went. After going a couple of blocks he worked to circle back to the street
Douglas went down. Then he walked along it. It started turning some. He
was worried he had missed the house when the turn ended and there to his
right was a white house with flower boxes and baskets in front. Across from
it was a brown house that was two stories tall. The top story had a wide
balcony in the front over a big porch. Orzano checked it all out and then
headed out of town.

When he got to where Robert Charles and the rest of the group was, he
reported to them.

"This is too good to be true," Robert Charles said. "Douglas's little
cabinet all together, and we sit in that house and just pick them off."

"I thought you were going to do this slowly," Jordan said.

"I was. But I can't pass this up. Douglas, Scooter, Mike, Alex, all lined
up like ducks waiting for us to knock them off. And tomorrow won't be too
soon."

"And then what? We stand around waiting to be caught?" This was the first
thought Jordan had given to the consequences.

"Hell, no. We escape back to the small valley. Look Jordan, these poor
fools on this planet couldn't lead a man dying of thirst to water. Without
Douglas the Hakaanen can't fight. We go back to the Shkah, I get their
Arkron and Bazel and their other leaders. And then it will be me, and not
that faggot Douglas, who leads somebody to victory on this hell hole planet.
All Douglas won was a battle, I plan on winning the war!"

That night Jordan was lying under his blankets aching to be hugged. He
remembered listening to his dad come back from spending most of the day in
Engineering, wishing he would come in and give him a hug. Instead his dad
would drink some. He remembered finding out how drinking that himself
started getting rid of the hurt. He remembered how he always tried to find
a smaller boy and find ways to make him like him, like he did with Matthew.
Only with Matthew he found himself getting strong feelings for him. He
remembered how he loved it when Robert Charles did things with him and how
much he loved being hugged by the older boy.

Finally he pulled the blankets off himself and crawled into Robert Charles's
sleeping bag, waking him up.

"Hey," Robert Charles said sleepily, "what's going on."

"I want you to fuck me," Jordan whispered.

"Hey, sure why not. Have some fun before the killing starts. I'm pretty
horny anyway, I was just thinking of jerking off, or maybe fucking that cute
little Shkah boy." Jordan's heart sank some when he heard that.

Robert Charles turned Jordan over and entered him roughly, slamming into him
and only worried about his own pleasure. Jordan loved the feel of Robert
Charles inside of him , however, and he felt himself ready to cum.

"I love you, Rob, I love you," Jordan called out. Robert Charles slammed
him hard and they both cummed within seconds of each other.

Jordan snuggled up to Robert Charles. "I love you. Do you love me?"

There was a long silence and then Robert Charles started laughing. "Oh,
man, you're a funny dude. Hey, you're a great fuck, guy, but no way do I
love you. I mean, I'm not queer like most the guys on that star ship seemed
to be. Now, why don't you crawl back into your own bed and quit getting
mushy on me." Robert Charles kissed Jordan's cheek. "Be a man, now."

Jordan crawled out of Robert Charles's sleeping bag and back into his
bedding and cried himself to sleep. Orzano heard him and wished he could
hug the little round eared boy.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The "Starkeeper" boys spent a restless night. They all were worried about
Robert Charles. Some of them took care of those worries by making love to
each other.

Travis and Ryan didn't get to sleep until way after midnight. They spent
three hours working each other up to three hard cums. Two sixty-nines and a
kissing rub off later they finally fell asleep in each other's arms.

For Brett and Jeremy it was Jeremy making love to his partner. Brett loved
feeling Jeremy inside of him, and Jeremy loved making love to the skinny
little teen he'd fallen in love with. Besides, he was proud of Brett for
fighting through his asthma and taking a big part in their battle against
the Shkah. And he showed his pride by making special love.

Matthew's love was for Enghar. Matthew couldn't get enough of the Hakaan
boy, and Enghar couldn't get enough of the Earth boy. Enghar thanked the
God Jeswa every day for bringing this wonderful sweet loving boy to him.
And in a very selfish, but loving way, he prayed every day that the round
ears would never find a way to return home. More and more Matthew was the
bottom and Enghar was the top, and both of them loved it that way. Matthew
knew deep in his heart that if his brother Mike had not helped him that
night on the "Starkeeper" he wouldn't be in this bed making love to the
beautiful boy with the pointed ears, the emerald green eyes, and the soft
golden mane. Matthew rubbed along the tops of Enghar's ears, something
Enghar loved and found very erotic. He rubbed Enghar's firm round butt.
Then he relaxed and let Enghar make love to him until they both were close
to orgasm. Then Enghar popped out and they pushed close to each other and
rubbed their hard dicks together, kissing deep and lovingly. Their bodies
writhed and humped and it didn't take long for them to climax. The fierce
orgasms produced a surprise.

Enghar told Matthew he had something wet on him. Matthew looked down and
could see that one of them had shot some clear drops of boy cum over the two
of them. Enghar didn't have a cast holding him down and could move easier.
He looked at the tips of their cocks and rubbed them. He told Matthew he
couldn't be sure, but he thought it might have been a little from both of
them. Now they had something to check out.

"Ost lesha drey, Engar."

"I loff yoou, Mattoo."

Mike, Alex, Stevie, and Jim were all staying together. They had bedrooms
side by side, and on this night the four of them slept in one room. Jim was
with Stevie, and Mike with Alex, but before they fell asleep they had all
been on the floor sharing their love. Their touched each other all over and
when they ended up cumming it was on or in whoever was close or touching,
and they all lost track after two or three cums each who had done what with
whom.

The twins had learned about sixty-nine from Travis and Ryan and used what
they learned. Not so much to be lovers, but because it felt good and
because they wanted to show their love as brothers.

Finally there was Scooter and Douglas. Their lovemaking was like Matthew
and Enghar. Rubbing and humping and kissing and not able to get enough of
each other. When they were finished Douglas wondered if there was
lovemaking going on with the rest of the group. All he knew right then was,
there could be no group of boys in the galaxy who were as beautiful and as
full as love as the boys from the "Starkeeper".

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

All of the group got rides or walked in a large group to school. Once again
they met before the lessons started. Nobody had heard anything from Robert
Charles and his friends. There wasn't even a food robbery the day before.
So all they knew was Robert Charles and Jordan were close by, but hiding
somewhere.

Robert Charles, Vordkan, Jordan, and Orzano came to the outskirts of the
town on foot just before dawn. Orzano and Vordkan had done some scouting.
Vordkan still had green and blue in his mane, although the golden hair was
at the roots, so he couldn't do any public scouting, but he did check out
the fields, woods, and back roads. Between them they figured out a way to
the abandoned house across the road from Kallama and Gorgio's house.

They got to the back of it and went inside. The Hakaanen never locked their
houses. The house still had furniture in it, but they could tell nobody had
lived there for a while. They went upstairs and looked out of the windows
at the balcony at the house across the road. Coming around a corner were
Mike, Alex, Jim, and Stevie. Bandar and Hajo were with them. Bandar was
armed but the rest of them weren't. They got to the door of the house and
Douglas and Scooter stepped out and met them. They all walked down the walk
to the road, and then headed toward the school. Robert Charles lined up his
rifle with each of them and faked some shots through the glass. Jordan was
doing the same. Vordkan and Orzano watched them. Robert Charles had told
him this group was his and Jordan's, and that they could have the leftovers.
Then he laughed the evil laugh he was getting more and more.

At lunch Enghar was talking to a friend of his, Mycroff. Mycroff told him
about the stranger he met after school and how interested he was in the
round ears. It showed how famous they were. He told Enghar how he had
helped them out. Enghar thought that was cool and didn't give it much more
thought. He knew his round eared friends were famous.

Robert Charles napped on one of the beds. He was trying to remember the
last time he had slept in a totally comfortable bed. He told Jordan to keep
watch for the next hour while the rest of them slept, and then to wake up
Vordkan for the next hour's watch.

Jordan looked out of the upstairs windows. He thought of his dad, whom he
loved but who would never hug him. He thought about the boys he'd been
using since he was 10 and could figure out how to use younger boys. He
thought about the "Starkeeper" boys. They all seemed in love with each
other. Robert Charles was right, they were all a bunch of queers. But
then, I'm one too, he thought. He fought back the tears. There he said it.
He was queer. A faggot. Gay. And so in love with Matthew. He wanted
him back somehow in any way he could. Even if that meant killing Matthew's
pointy eared friend. If Robert Charles knew he was queer, he would probably
hate him. He thought about last night, how RC laughed at him when he said
he loved him. But he did love him. Or did he? He didn't really know. He
was 12. How could he know? He started stroking himself, thinking of
Matthew, then Robert Charles, then back and forth between them, until he
shot three streams of clear cum over his belly and down his dick. He rubbed
it over himself and then fell asleep.

At the afternoon break Douglas met with Mayor Andorn and Bandar. They had
brought all of the laser rifles. The Mayor said they would be left with the
principal, locked in his office to be picked up after school. This isn't
like Earth schools, Douglas thought. Nobody would ever allow a weapon
inside an Earth school.

Robert Charles shook Jordan awake. He saw that he was sticky with cum.

"Wake up. Some lookout you are. Get responsible and do your job. I should
make you watch for the next hour, but I'll wake up Vordkan to relieve you.
Get some sleep. We only have a couple more hours."

Jordan went to the bed Vordkan had been in feeling totally crappy. It was
his chance to make Robert Charles happy with him and he blew it. Well, he
wouldn't blow it when everybody came walking home. He and RC had it all
planned out. Who was going down and when. And he wasn't going to blow it.
He would kill whoever he had to killl. With that thought he fell back
asleep.

The school day came to an end at last. They all met in the cafeteria.
Bandar, Hajo, and Douglas brought out some of the weapons. The two Hakaanen
were armed, though they both knew it was mostly for show, since they had
never fired a weapon before. But then, with a laser rifle, it was easy to
make up for mistakes. The principal had an announcement to make. He told
them that there would be no ride for the twin's group. So they had to
decide who was walking who home.

Bandar and Hajo would walk with Drew, Drake, Brett, Matthew, Jeremy, and
Enghar would walk together. Matthew was doing pretty well with his crutches
and figured he could walk the whole distance. Enghar's house was only a
couple of blocks away anyway. Ryan volunteered to go help them too. Drew
smiled, happy his big brother would be along.

Mike, Alex, Stevie, Jim, Douglas, Scooter, and Travis would head as a group
to Kallama and Gorgio's house. They were all older boys, which was why
Bandar and Hajo would be needed more with the smaller younger ones. Bandar,
Hajo, Ryan, and Jeremy had rifles. Mike, Alex, Douglas, and Travis had them
with the other group. They didn't take the smaller laser guns.

Vordkan looked at the clock. It was time to wake everybody up. He went to
where they were sleeping. They met at the doorway to the balcony and walked
out low. The balcony fence was solid wood. If they kept low, they couldn't
be seen from below. At the corner of the balcony there was an opening where
they could see who was coming up the street.

The two groups walked off the play field. The boys exchange hugs and then
started on their own ways. Mycroff decided to walk along with his friend
Enghar's group. Most of the Hakaan boys avoided them when they were
outside. They were all afraid of an attack, but Mycroff thought the whole
thing sounded like an adventure. He was 12 and life in Orkyl was usually
boring. Besides, he liked Enghar a lot. He even thought they might be
Meshannas someday.

Douglas and his group covered the first two blocks quickly but cautiously.
It would be hard to find a hiding place there, but the rest of the way the
houses were farther apart with bushes, trees, and some open fields, plus the
turn in the road before they got to the house.

Mycroff was chatting away as they got to Enghar's house. Enghar planned on
dropping Matthew off there and going with the rest of them in case they
needed help. Enghar gave Matthew a big hug and a kiss, which Mycroff
noticed. Then they headed off to where Brett and Jeremy were staying.

Robert Charles looked at the turn in the road. He should be able to see
them as they came around the turn. They wouldn't be in range right away,
but everybody would be ready.

Douglas was coming up to the last cross street before the road started
heading into the country. They would cross the street and then go almost a
block before the turn. This was where they would have to be really careful.

Enghar was trying to watch around him and ignore Mycroff's constant chatter.

"..and then I told him about the abandoned house across from where they were
staying."

Something caught Enghar's attention. "Told who about what abandoned house?"

"The stranger kid from the north end. About the abandoned house across from
where Doctor Kallama lives....he was real interested in it and all and...."

"Shit!" Enghar said. Mycroff's chatter was all making sense. That stranger
kid wasn't from the north end, he was the Shkah boy with the raiders.
"Shit, I hope I'm not too late!" He turned and started running. Mycroff
looked at Enghar like he had lost his mind.

Douglas and his group got to the turn. There was a house on the right, but
none on the left until the abandoned house across from the doctor. They
looked at the bushes on the left side carefully. They were all part of the
large yard of the house they just passed and were cut low, but somebody
could hide down low too. They started around the turn. Douglas looked up
the abandoned house. Something about the balcony didn't look right.
Something about the door.

Robert Charles saw the figures starting around the turn. He counted them.
There were seven. And he could see that now they were armed. He gestured
to Jordan to be ready.

Enghar cut through a couple of yards as he tried taking short cuts. He had
to warn them before it was too late about the danger in the abandoned house.
He didn't know if they would think to look there.

The group came around the turn. There were four houses here. The doctor's,
the empty one across the street, and two large houses farther down. They
didn't think anybody would be hiding on this part of the road, but they
looked carefully. As far as Douglas knew, Robert Charles and his group
didn't know where he was staying anyway.

Bandar led his group back to Enghar's house. Something was wrong and he
needed to go after Enghar to find out what it was. He didn't know where he
was going, but Ryan did, and using gestures and what little Hakaan language
he had learned he let Bandar know he should follow him.

Robert Charles watched as the boys got within range. He and Jordan knew
what order to shoot down the boys. Douglas was going to be last and was
going to be his. He checked his rifle to make sure it was set to kill. He
pointed to Jordan's rifle. Jordan looked at his setting and nodded yes.

Enghar felt his lungs burning as he dashed down the street. He had only one
more block and he would be meeting the street that Doctor Kallama lived on.

Douglas and his group were almost at the gate into the yard of the doctor's
house. He looked over at the house across the street. The door to balcony
was open. That was what wasn't right, he thought. It should be closed. He
raised his rifle turned to tell Alex when he saw a flash of light and saw
Travis drop to the ground. With his rifle ready he was able to get a shot
off, which splintered the wood at the top of the balcony fence.

Another flash from the balcony and Stevie was down. Alex and Mike both got
their rifles up to fire. Another flash hit the house. Douglas knocked
Scooter down to the ground, then squatted in front of him.

Robert Charles had watched Jordan hit Travis and Stevie. Damn fine shooting
he thought. Then he aimed for Scooter, but fucking Douglas had knocked him
down. Douglas was going to be last. He fired, but it was wild and it hit
the garden fence behind the boys. Alex and Mike both fired, hitting the
balcony and a window, shattering the window. Then they tried to get over
the fence and behind it to use it as a shield as Jordan fired a long
burstl. Alex and Mike were both hit before they could get over the fence.
Jordan had practiced with the weapons in the crew training area a lot, and
he knew how to shoot.

Douglas was squatting in front of Scooter. "Get through the gate!" he told
them. "I'll cover you then follow you!"

"No, you gotta go through the gate with me." A burst of fire hit in front
of him. Jordan had fired it and knew better than to shoot Douglas. Scooter
quit arguing and started through the gate. Douglas shot off a covering
shot. Robert Charles had been almost frozen by the whole exchange. He was
ready to be fired back at, even though he was sure the rifles weren't set to
kill. It was Jordan who had done all the firing but one wild burst. He got
looked up over the top of the balcony fence and took aim at Scooter, who was
scrambling into the yard. Jordan saw him ready to fire at Scooter and
Douglas.

The whole thing then turned into slow motion for him. His mind heard
Douglas in the hospital saying they would all love him no matter what. He
remembered Douglas said he loved him, and nobody, not his dad, not Robert
Charles, not anybody had ever told him he loved him. He saw Robert Charles
taking aim. Robert Charles, the one who laughed at him and laughed at his
love. Jordan's mind exploded and he screamed,
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!". Robert Charles hesitated. Jordan dropped
his own rifle jumped and grabbed the rifle in Robert Charles's hand and
tried wrestling it away. In the struggle the rifle went off hitting Jordan
in the chest. Jordan fell against the fence, breaking it, and fell down
into the bushes below, his fingers still clutching Robert Charles's rifle.

Robert Charles grabbed Jordan's rifle off the deck. Douglas could see
Robert Charles clearly through the broken fence and fired off a quick burst.
It was low and hit the side of the decking. Robert Charles aimed Jordan's
rifle at Douglas. Douglas took another aim at Robert Charles. They fired
at the same time. Robert Charles hit Douglas in the chest and Douglas's
burst hit Robert Charles in the belly. Both boys dropped unconscious.

Enghar came running around the turn just as the last bursts were fired. He
was too late. He looked seven boys lying on the ground in front of the
house and he knew he was too late. He sat on the ground and started crying.
He didn't notice a Shkah boy and a Shkah teen running out of the back of
the empty house and into the yard behind it.

NEXT: Chapter 40. Ost Lesha Drey

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry it's taking longer between posting chapters. But as I
said, the first 36 had been posted previously, and rest are still being
worked on. The last few chapters have been pretty intense. The next
Chapter is going to be a change of pace as we take a look at the customs and
traditions of Hakaan culture.